Grease is one of those items that may get overlooked on our maintainence lists if we aren't changing the oil or replacing drivelines

I couldn't agree more with this statement. Having dealt with heavy machinery, timber equipment, drilling rigs- grease is a vital component to there operation. Some will say " it's only grease " I have seen the effects of this statement and the effects of I'll get it next time, etc... None of which ever ends well.
Apply this to our daily drivers/ toys / life style and we wouldn't make out very well on the trail. Greasing with a quality product on a regular schedule makes a world of difference.
A little trick to test the quality of your favorite brand- take a small blob and put it on a hard flat
surface, smack it with a 2# shop hammer, pull your hammer straight up and see how long of a string you get. The longer the string, the better the quality of the grease.

Also, what NAPA grease dries to a outside skin to repel dirt? I own a couple of street sweepers that blow dust all over the place. I grease it to keep the dirt out of the bearing regularly. Repelling dirt sounds right for me.

I just use the regular cheapest NAPA grease, anyone think I should change to a different grease?

I'll have to look but the grease is red or maybe purple. I was told that dirt sticks to it less and it seems to be true since all we have around here is desert dust and sand.

One hander.

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Great topic Canman! I probably take time to crawl around my vehicles and make sure clean grease is where it needs to be more than the average joe, but I'm sure I could do better. I haven't taken much time to read about what type is the best, but I've used plain 'ol Lucas "Red N Tacky" for years and have been happy with what it does. A question I'd like to ask is about a good needle fitting. I've gone through a couple of the generic adapters you can find at the parts houses, but they leak like a seive. What do the grease gurus have to say about a good quality needle type applicator? I think I'd like to find a specific gun I can leave dedicated to needle fittings. I'm currently using a mini-gun with a needle fitting for my CV joints and whatnot, but its not the greatest.

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I agree with getting a Lincoln or similar quality. Some reason I have always ended up with cheap crap grease guns that will never pump grease. I finally bought a Lincoln for probably only $25 and it is great.

I haven't taken much time to read about what type is the best, but I've used plain 'ol Lucas "Red N Tacky" for years and have been happy with what it does. A question I'd like to ask is about a good needle fitting. I've gone through a couple of the generic adapters you can find at the parts houses, but they leak like a seive. What do the grease gurus have to say about a good quality needle type applicator? I think I'd like to find a specific gun I can leave dedicated to needle fittings. I'm currently using a mini-gun with a needle fitting for my CV joints and whatnot, but its not the greatest.

As a dedicated gun its not a terrible idea if you have the room in your garage or shop. I, personally, do a lot of greasing on a weekly basis and only run one gun for the farm equipment and occasionally use it for the jeep. I opted for the adapter above but if you wanted to go with a dedicated gun I would suggest going with the straight pipe because there is a lot of pressure needed to make sure the grease enters the joint. And yes, the Lincoln threads are all the same, I checked.

You would thread off the zerk adapter and thread on the tube starting where my ring finger is. I pulled back the sleeve to show folks how it works. And all the heads on the Lincoln guns are adjustable for grip on the zerk fitting itself. All it takes is the twist of the tip.

As for grease type, you'll want something high pressure, high temperature and water resistant. The cheapest stuff I could find was this bunch and it has been working just fine for a few months now.

As for the gun I prefer, it looks something like this. Or exactly like this.

Remember that you only need to squirt grease to expel the water until you see the new grease push the old grease out. You don't need to run a tube of grease through each zerk to be effective. And remember that some grease is better than no grease. Even a couple shots makes a big difference.

Eventually you will realize that it is an addiction, like I did; Then you will buy the bulk refill 5-gallon pail and not bother with those wastful little cartridges anymore. Just keep a box of rubber gloves around for re-packing the guns!

It's not pretty, but it was cheap! I use the 5 gallon tub for repacking wheel bearings

Forgot to mention, the brand of guns and accessories that I'm using is "Lubri-Matic" they have been around since forever, like 1921 or something. I'll prolly pass those guns on down to my nephews when I die or something. FWIW I totally agree about having the straight pipe on the needle gun. I have to find the red stuff and try it sometime - I have the moly EP marine stuff in these because its what worked best for me.

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The red stuff is nothing to seek out, its the bottom of the barrel in my arsenal of lubricants. But for a jeep, they'll pretty much all do the job. It's not like we are running serviceable radial ball bearings on our vehicles. The types that see over 1000 rpm need special grease, jeeps really don't. Just make sure that its not going to corrode your tie rod boots and is automotive safe.

I usually only hit mine every other month because I'm 95% on surface roads. I do step it up during the winter months (3-4 weeks between greasings) b/c the road salt gets everywhere and I find myself power washing the undercarriage a bit more frequently. My off roading has consisted of a few muddy puddles and some dirt roads. She gets a thorough cleaning and greasing after every "trip" though. Is there anything else I should be greasing.... on the Jeep that is?